Typical computer systems, especially computer systems using graphical user interface (GUI) systems, are optimized for accepting user input from one or more discrete input devices. Common input devices include a keyboard for entering text and a pointing device, such as a mouse with one or more buttons, for controlling the user interface. The keyboard and mouse interface facilitates user interaction with computer systems such as for the creation and modification of electronic documents including text, spreadsheets, database fields, drawings, and photos.
One of the limitations with conventional GUI systems is that a user must generally type the text they are entering into the computer system using the keyboard. More recently, however, pen-based computing systems, such as tablet PCs and the like, have been increasing in popularity. In pen-based computing systems, user input advantageously may be introduced using an electronic “pen” or stylus. More particularly, a user can write with the stylus on the screen of the electronic tablet or other appropriate surface in a similar manner to traditional pen and paper. The strokes of the user's handwriting with the stylus are read and used to recreate the handwriting in electronic form on the screen with “digital ink.”
As pen-based computing systems are becoming more popular, users are increasingly entering more data in the form of digital ink. In many instances, users may wish to convert the original digital ink data to machine-generated text, i.e., text suitable for use and manipulation by conventional word processing programs and other application programs. While handwriting recognition technology for converting handwritten digital ink to machine-generated text has improved in recent years, recognizers of this type still are error prone, particularly for users with poor handwriting, users that write at an angle, and/or users that write very quickly. As a result, machine-generated text produced by a recognizer, at times, needs to be corrected and/or otherwise changed or edited by the user.